David Valentine, AA in Business Administration, Class of 2015

In his son Jarryd and daughter Mackenzye, Massachusetts resident David Valentine found the inspiration to improve his education with an associate’s degree from New England College.

Valentine made his education a priority in hopes of giving his children a better life and to set an example for them.

“They’re all the motivation I need,” Valentine said. “Doing this gives me a sense of personal accomplishment, but I want to show them this experience, and that this is how you get onward and upward in your life.”

Valentine works a full-time job where hours frequently fluctuate. It was the flexibility of NEC’s program that attracted him and allowed him to finish on time.

“For the working man or woman, NEC’s online courses are perfect,” Valentine said. “I work a lot of different hours, but it doesn’t matter if I get home at 9:30 at night, I can just log on and do my homework because it’s at my leisure.

“Seven-week courses are a great experience and the professors are awesome online. I’m not the most tech-savvy person, but I jumped right into the courses and started mingling with professors and other students on discussion boards.”

Now, Valentine has decided not to waste time in taking the next step in his journey with NEC, pursuing his bachelor’s degree immediately following graduation.

“I’ve got my associate’s and now I’m not going to take any time off, I’m going straight into my bachelor’s at NEC,” Valentine said. “I think the best thing to do is not take too much time off. If you put it off, it’ll go by the wayside. I found a home here. It’s been a great experience with NEC.”